World Food Programme Urges Focus On Nutrition In Fight Against HIV / AIDS

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World Food Programme Urges More Focus On Nutrition In Fight Against HIV

/ AIDS

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=49794 & #38;nfid=crss

Article Date: 16 Aug 2006 - 9:00am (PDT)

Donor countries have poured billions of dollars into antiretrovirals and

other medication to counter the growing impact of AIDS in Africa, Asia

and Latin America with barely a thought to nutrition.

At the International AIDS conference in Toronto, the United Nations

World Food Programme today called for action among all stakeholders in

the fight against AIDS to make food and nutritional support part of the

essential package of care for people affected by HIV.

" It is time to deliver more than drugs. It is time to deliver cost

effective and comprehensive programs that include the basic food and

nutrition needed for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families, "

said Dr. Robin , Chief of WFP's HIV/AIDS Service and Head of

Delegation at a joint press conference with the Secretary-General's

special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Mr. and professor at

Harvard Medical School and co-founder of the NGO Partners in Health, Dr.

Farmer.

A new study released by HIV Medicine concluded that patients who start

new antiretroviral therapy while they are malnourished are six times

more likely to die than patients who are well nourished.

The study says the reason may be that malnutrition reduces patients'

ability to absorb the potent triple-drug antiretroviral therapy and

leaves them unable to benefit from the lifesaving medicine. Malnourished

individuals also find it harder to cope with the therapy's debilitating

side effects and may take longer to recover their body's immunity to

infection.

Food is often cited by people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS as

their greatest and most urgent need. Yet, food has been forgotten in the

standard treatment, care and support of HIV/AIDS. Nutrition

interventions for HIV programs are often overlooked in the international

HIV policy debate and they remain critically under-funded.

WFP estimates that approximately one million of the 6.6 million people

who will be enrolled in antiretroviral programmes in 2008 will need some

kind of nutritional support. The cost of providing them with assistance

is just CAD $0.73 per patient per day, all costs included. For HIV

patients, rations are typically only required for 6 months until they

can get back on their feet.

Poor nutrition heightens individual susceptibility to HIV-related

infections while food insecurity makes it more likely that individuals

adopt risky lifestyles that increase their vulnerability to being

exposed to the virus. If infection occurs, integrated nutrition, food

security and HIV/AIDS interventions can promote positive living and

prolong the asymptomatic period of relative health. When AIDS develops,

nutrition and food security become important partners in treatment.

" We cannot win the battle against AIDS by focusing on drugs alone.

Funding antiretrovirals with no thought to food and nutrition is a

little like paying a fortune to fix a car but not setting aside money to

buy gas, " says Robin .

WFP provides food assistance in 21 of the 25 nations with the highest

HIV prevalence rates and has active HIV/AIDS interventions in 43

countries worldwide. Rations vary but include basics like rice, beans,

fortified cereals, oil and iodized salt ensuring essential nutrition to

people living with HIV/AIDS.

# # #

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food

to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,

including 61 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's

poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.

For further information please visit:

http://www.wfp.org

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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